Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-07-28

L ~eOOA " 49, SsS~S0s'S y - ~ 49, - 1850
and slowly pulled to. 1t did not quite
shut. The dog noticed the movement.
sprang to get out and the result was
that he pushed the door shut and
snapped the spring lock. The door
leading into the reception-rpom was
still open, but the door from that into
the hall was shut. The animal rushed
into this room, upset q chair and
bumped the table, and then came hack
whining, his tail down and his courage
gone, and skunk under my bed. That
the dog was suffering with hydrophobia
there could be no doubt As he re-
turned from the reception-room there
was foam on his jaws, and he was 80
weak he staggered.
Had / been well man and fully
armed my situation would have been
bad enough. There I was. perfectly
helpless, locked in with the brute, and
knowing that it might be hours before
death came to him. NY servant had q
kew to The door, and when he returned
he would open it and walk in. There
was not the slightest question but that
the dog would at once attack him. l
had two or three minutes in which to
think, and it was wonderful how clear
headed was. l looked upon my own
chance as hopeless. and therefore de-
tcrmined that when Henry returned !
would call out to him before he got the
door open Twas also concerned for
fear the dog would get out of the build
ing. 1t was crowded neighborhood
and he might bite score Of people be-
fore he was destroyed.
1t is said that the presence of great
danger sharpens the sense of hearing.
l believe this to be true. for have had
several personal experiences As !
lay there waiting for my servant to
return l plainly heard sounds which
could not have come to my ears under
ordinary circumstances. At the foot
of the second fight of stairs. dis
lance of fully seventy feet from my
bed, Henry was stopped by young
man who lodged on that floor. l heard
him say:
Il was waiting here to tell you that
Captain Williams brute of q dog
passed upstairs short time ago. Il
the captain there?''
He was not there when / left"
'And he has not come in after the
dog. The animal had a scaly look,
and you'd better be careful how you
drive him out"
Thanks, sir; Ill hurry right up"
Iheard my man come upstairs and
along the hall. As soon rs he saw
that my bedroom door was shut he
seemed to suspect the worst, and he
acted like hero He came down the
hall on tip-toe, put his face close to the
door and sang out:
Colonel, know the big dog is in
your room. and am going for help.
If he comes near you shut your eyes
and pretend to be dead
The sound of his voice put the dog
into frenzy. He growled and snarled
and snapped, and as the man hurried
down the hall the beast rushed from
under the bed with dreadful howl and
began rushing around the room as be-
fore. After making the circle of the
bedroom four or five times he dashed
into the reception room. There he
quite overturned the comfortable,
and in his fury he wrenohed off a
leg with his teeth and destroyed
the upholstcring of the sofa was
terribly excited. and had l given way
to my feelings should have screamed
out like woman. l shut my eyes
tightly. braced my nerves by Gliding
myself for coward, and when the
climax came l was fairly ready for it. !
knew that the dog would sooner or
later turn to me. and As he left the re-
ception-roOm he was on the foot of the
bed in two bounds. There was an open
book lying there. and he seized and
worried this for a moment. Then
came walking up to my face. bearing
his full weight on my broken leg. and
giving me intense pain. My arms and
hands were on the cover, and the foam
from his mouth fell upon my bare flesh.
He put both paws on my chest and
ran his nose over my face to snuff at
me. and he was all the time snarling
and whining in way to take the nerve
away from the stOutest man.
Idon't know whether he would have
bitten me or not, could l have re-
manned quiet but such think as hold
ing my nerves steady for over minute
was utterly impossible. Twas feeling
that must throw up my hands and
scream out when the beast leaped of
the bed. He had heard people in the
hall He ran about the room whining
and snarling. and all at once made .
spring for the door of the reception
room. which was being shut by human
hands. A spate six or eight inches
wide was left, and when the dog at
tempted to push his head into this,
couple of bullets were fired into him.
and he backed out to fall dead Henry
had summoned two policemen, and
wh;1e rho hr,,to atood near mo on fha